Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-06-05
CMArTElt NNIn-
AND

and flowers mixed up together like the
good and evil in the heart of Il man, aud to
the right-hand side OF this he'd stood an old
wooden chair with the back OF. No SOOncr
had John got outside the door of the cot
tage than ne became sensible that. what
between n thing and anOther-wearinesS,
loss OF blood from his wound, aud intense
mental cmOtiOn-if he did not sit down
Somew here pretty quickly he should fol
low the example set by Jess and faint
straight away. Accordingly he made for
the old chair and perched himself on it
with gratitude. Presently he saw Mrs.
Neville coming Steamiug along the path
with Il bottle OF brandy in her hand.
"AhI' he thought to himself, that will
Just come in handy for me. If | don't
have 4 glass of brandy soon | shall roll off
this Internal chair am sure of it"
"Wh re- is Jess" painted Mrs. Neville.
I'm there, - he said; "shc has recovered.
1t would have been better for us both if
she hadn't" lie added to himself.
why, bless me, Captain Mel, how
queer You look said Mrs. Neville, fam
ming herself with her hat; and there is
such Il row going IN at the camp there; the
volunteers swear that they will attack the
military Tor DESERVING them, and | don't
know what all; and they simply wouldn't
believe me when | said you were not shot.
Why. | never, Look, your boot is full of
blood! so you were hit after all
Might | trouble you to give me some
brandy, Mrs. Ncylllc?' said John family.
She filled a glass she had brought with
her half full of water from a little irrigation
tUrrow that ran down from the main SLUT
by the road, and then topped it up with
brandy. lie drank it, and felt decidedly
better.
Dear mer' said Mrs. Neville, there
are Il pair of you now You should Just
have seen that girl 90 down when she saw
the body coming along the road! | made
sure that it was YOU; but il wasn't. They
say that il was poor Jim Smith, sou OF old
Smith of Rustenburg. ! tell You what it
is, Captain Mel. you had better he careful;
if that girl isn't in love with you she is
something very like it. 4 girl does not
pop over like that for Dick, Tom, OF
Harry. You must forgive an old woman
like me for speaking out plain, but she Is
an odd girl is Jess, just like ten women
rolled into one 81 far Us her mind goes, and
if Won don't take care YOU will get into
trouble, which will he rather awkward, AS
yuJ are going To marry her sister. Jess
isn't a girl To have a bit ofa ilirt to pass
away the time and have done with it, |
can tell YOU and she shook her head
Solcmnly, ~ though she suspected him Of
trlting with his future siSter-iu-law's
young affections, and then, without wait
ing tor an answer, turned II went into
the cottage.
As Tor John, he only groaned. What
could he do but grOan? The whole thing
was scll-evideut, and if ever a man felt
ashamed of himself that man was John
Mel. lie was a strictly honorable in
dividual, and it cut him to the heart to
think that he had entered on Il course
which was not honorable. considering his
engagement To Bessie. When he, 4 few
minutes before, had told Jess he loved her
he had said Il diSgraceiul thing, however
true a thing it might he. And that vas
the worst of it; it was true; he did love her.
lie felt it ONE sweeping over him like a
wave ~ she stood there looking at him in
the room, utterly drowning and over
towering his affection for Bessie, to whom
he was bound by every tie Of honor. 1t
was u new and a wonderful thing this pass
ion that had arisen within him, ~ a strong
man armed, and driven every other aihec-
tion away into the waste places OF his
mind: and. unfortunately, it WAS an over
mastering and. Is he already guessed, an
enduring thing. He cursed himself in his
shame and anger rs he sat there recovering
his equilibrium on the broken chair and
iyiuy = handkerchief tight round his
wound. What Il fool he had been. Why
had he not waited to See which of the two
hr really took to? Why had less gone
away like that and thrown him into tempta-
ton with her pretty sister? lie was sure
uow that she had cared for him all along.
Well, there it was, and Il precious bad
business too. one thing he was clear
about; it should go no further. He was
not going To break his engagement to Bcs-
sic; II was not tn he Thought Of. But, all
the same, he felt sorry for himself, and
sorry tor Jess too.
Just then, however, the hlndagc on his
leg slipped, aud the wound began Ia bleed
50 fast that he was liin To limp into the
house for assistance.
Jess, who had apparently quite got over
her agitation, was standing by the table
talking to Mrs. Neville, who was perSuad-
inn her t0 swallow some of the brandy she
had been at such pains to fetch. The mo-
ment she caught sight Of Johns face, which
had now turned classify white, and saw
the red line trickling down his boot, she
took mp her Int that WAS lying on the table.
"You had better lie down on the old
hedstead IN the little room, y she said; 81
going for the Doctor
Assisted hv Mrs. Neville, he was only
too clad to take this advice, but long be
fore the doctor arrived John had followed
.JeSs's example, and, to the intense alarm
of Mrs. Neville, who was yainly endcavOr-
inc To check the flow of blood, which had
now become copious, gone oil into Il dead
faint. On the arrival at the doctor 1t APP
pearcd that the bullet had grazcd the walls
of one OF the arteries on the inside ol the
thigh without actually cutting them, hut
that they had now given way, which
rendered it necessary To tie The artery.
This operation, with the assistance Of
chlorolorm. he proceeded ia successfully
carry ont on The spot, announcing after
that a great deal Of blood had al
ready been lost.
When at last il was over, Mrs. Neville
about John being moved up to the
hospital. but the doctor declared that he
must stop where he was, and that Jess
must stop and help to nurse him, with the
assistance OF Il soldiers wife he would send
down.
Dear me" said Mrs. Neville, THAT is
very awkward"
1T will he awkwarder if you try to
move him at present, - was the grim reply,
for the silk may slip, in which case the
artery will probably break out again, and
he will bleed to death"
As for jess, she said nothing, but set to
work to make Preparations for her task OF
nursing. As Fate had once more thrown
them together, she accepted the position
gladly, though it is only fair to say that
She would not have sought it.
In about an hours time, just rs John
beginning to recover from the painful
effects of the chlorofnrm, the soldiers wife
who was To assist her in nursing arrived.
She WAS. rs Jess o discovered, not only